The St. Johns herald., 1887-05-12
THE GERMAN woMARs KNITTING.
Where Knitting Needles Click Perpetually and the Stocking Is Immortal.

 Where Knitting Needles Click PerpetuaIly
 and the Stocking Is Immoi tal.
 have just returned from a tour through the provinces of Brandenburg and Silesia
 Ido not propose to give narrative of the impressions have received on my trip. Only one feature in my intercourse with the people Of the provincial towns shall be mentioned that impressed itself very forcibly upon my mind as being characteristic of the German female.
 Strangers who are admitted into the hou-es o German families cannot help being puzzleI at seeing every German woma of all ranks, from ten years up to eighty-make the unintermiting use of her knl. ting needles the be-all and end-a l of her outdoor existence.
 say outdoor, advi5edly; for within cooking alternates with knitting In the provinces you can hardly see fc- male native unprovided with her ev..r- lasting "strickzeng." At the l.eer gar dens, at the cafes. at places of anuse- ment, the JfrdMs and .trauleins knit and knit, as If their whole soul. like an Irish- woman's money, lay within @ stocking heel.
 For 1t is none of your pretty, young ladylike, fancy-hair looking fantasies which those fre resolute needles perpe- trate. No, the works of heir D ints are solid, uncompromising coverings for the feet of husband, brother, son and daugh- ter.
 The rise and progress of pair of Ger man stockings, which I took on several occasions special pains to watch care fully, strongly reminded me of certain glass of hot punch
 A jolly old Irish farmer In western New York. whom we'll remember. was won't to boast that he never on any occa- sion drank more than one glass of punch at one sitting. This was perfectly true. but 1t was equally certain that he was never known to go to bed sober.
 The old gentleman, after supper, used to manufacture a potent glass. After slipping few spoonfuls he would >om- plain that it wanted suga:. A lump or two wera added. Then 1t was too swoot- 4 somewhat too liberal infusion of pure water required second dose of whiskey. Then little more sugar was added, and so on. until, under the delu5ive name O.: one glass, round dozen or 30 had been imbibed.
 Now. in a somewhat analogous manner is German stocking pre- ervsd by its thrifty owner to venerable old age.
 When the foot, after careful mend:ng. is irretrievably gone. a new one Is knit on the upper part, and when this in its turn becomes superannuate1, e new leg Is joined to the foot. This operation being several times repeated. the article in question enjoys an immorta fly of stockinghOod, although, like the frame which 1t helps 10 cover. It's su stance Is perpe aaily renewed.
 The German ladies hold Tn High con. tempt all female, unskilleI in this par ticu ar branch of industry.
 Even in public places where ladies at- tend, they seldom go unprovided with the indefati able needles, which Seem 10 fill up every unoccupied moment of wait ing.
 Cue ad: antage, or disadvantage, as the case may be. of this mechanical in- Gus ry Is tho free license which 1t per- mits to the exercise of the tongue-a privile 0 by no means neglected by either frau or Jrdulein.
 remember once to have hear'l O. ne.: I"land described by an eccentric tourist as the "sea-bathingest and h'skey- drlnkIngest place he had ever visited" With equal truth might almost any pro- v:ncial town in Germany be described as one of the knittingest and smokingest places in the world. ."-[New York Sun.